The Angel in the Cupboard
by winter2
Summary: Dean's favourite childhood toy comes to life and becomes his guardian angel against the Devil.
1. Chapter 1

Dean had always enjoyed playing with the little figurine of a man holding a knife and wearing a trench coat. The fact that it was just a strange children's toy was what fascinated him most. _Who would play with a man in a trench coat? _He used to think. _Well, I would, I guess._

As he grew older, Dean grew less interested in the little man, he just wasn't as fun as video games then those weren't as fun as his new car, and then the new car was just a means to pick up chicks. Deep down, Dean still cared about the toy because he never let his younger brother Sammy chew on it or lose it behind a dresser. Dean kept the man on a high shelf, out of Sam's reach. By the time Sam was taller than Dean and able to reach it, it had been forgotten and covered in dust.

Dean went away to college for four years and Sammy took over his room until he graduated high school. The man in the trench coat stayed on the shelf until Sammy was packing up to move in with his girlfriend and Dean was selling things so he could go on a road trip. Their parents decided it was time for them to get a smaller house so everything had to be removed.

Sammy brushed his hand along the top shelf to see if anything was up there among the dust and his hand knocked over the little toy.

"Hey, Dean. You remember this?" He wiped off dust and a spider web from the toy then turned to his brother who was tearing apart his old bed. "I vaguely remember you freaking out and putting it up here after I pointed at it on your dresser when I was, like, 6. "

"Yea," Dean got up from the floor and took the toy from Sammy's hand. "This was my favourite thing in the entire world when I was little. Most boys had Hot Wheels, I had a ceramic man with a knife. I'm surprised I didn't turn out crazier than I am."

"Boys! Have you checked the attic yet?" Their mom called from downstairs. "I might have stored some of grandma's things up there ages ago!"

"We'll get to it now!" Dean put the figurine in his jacket pocket and he and Sam walked to the hall. Sam reached up to pull down the step and Dean ascended first. He reached out blindly, remembering there was a light somewhere, and pulled the chain down. The bulb was dim but they could see all but the corners of the tiny attic. A chest filled with old lady clothes, a small cabinet or jewelry box sort of thing, and a key on top of that were the only things in the attic besides more dust, spiders and their webs, and termite damage.

"I think we had a yard sale once, selling most of grandma's things…" Sam said as he looked around the lack of interesting things to play with. "I mean, I was hoping for a giant portrait and a treasure map, at least."

"These clothes have holes from mice so we can just toss these. The chest probably has a hole somewhere, too, so that can go. Mom might want the jewelry box thing."

"Done and done."

* * *

><p>Sam and Dean dragged down the chest and tossed it into the dumpster then went back for the box. They dusted it off, unlocked and opened it then cleaned the inside. When it and its key looked new and shiny, they brought it to their mother who was sitting in the kitchen, taking a break with some lemonade.<p>

"Your dad went to get pizza and more cardboard boxes. Sit, rest, have some lemonade. The neighbours brought it over. They're sad to see us leave."

"I'm sure they are sad to see our 'eye sore of a green fence' be painted white by the realtor before she sells it." Dean sat down and poured himself a glass of lemonade.

"I'm surprised Mr. Hudson hasn't done it himself already. What's that behind your back?"

"Something we found in the attic." Sam set the cupboard on the table. "We thought it was a jewelry box but it has shelves not hooks… Do you still want it?"

"My mother used to tell me stories her mother told her about this." Their mom gasped, recognizing the box. "She said it was magical, that you could put any toy inside, lock the door, and then open it again and the toy would come to life. She would never let me try it and she always changed the subject when I asked if she tried it. You boys probably don't have any toys left hanging around so you can just dump it. Besides, there's no such thing as magic."

Dean volunteered to take the box out to the dumpster but instead, he put it in the trunk of his car. He set the figurine of the man in the trench coat beside it and added the key to his key ring.

_ It seems like a waste to clean it then trash it… And you never know, it just might work._


	2. Chapter 2

Dean was excited to get back to the motel at which he was staying so that he could try out the magic of the cupboard.

He didn't believe in magic, per se, but there had been some incidents as a kid when he swears something… supernatural was at play. He would hear whispers in his house, find toys in the most random places (the attic, the basement, a top shelf he couldn't reach when he was shorter… When he questioned his parents and brother about this, they all denied having a part [of course Sammy was a little kid too, so he could have tossed something down the basement stairs and lied about it to Dean]).

The little figurine of the man in the trench coat was a huge part of Dean's belief in the otherworldly. That's why he was particularly excited to try the cabinet on that particular toy.

Dean used to hate the toy because he got it for Christmas from his grandpa Samuel whom he didn't like much, so he stuffed the toy in his bottom dresser drawer and forgot about it for a few weeks.

But his attitude changed when Dean's father left the basement door open when Dean was about five and a half. Dean was racing his Hot Wheel out his bedroom door and down the hall and the stairs. Three more sped out after it and got tangled in a fiery mess of imagination right by the steps to the basement. Dean raced back up the steps and wheeled out his fire truck, sound effects and all, to clean up the mess.

"This could use a police man!" Young Dean yelled as he jumped up. But as he did, his foot slipped on the top step and down he went into the dim abyss (his father had left the light on but the light wasn't extremely bright). Dean shrieked as he tumbled down and he heard his mother scream out his name and run toward the entrance hall from the kitchen. Dean hit his head, elbows, knees, and toes and landed in a heap at the bottom. He reached up slowly to feel his aching head and saw blood when he pulled his fingers away so he started to cry.

As his mother raced down the steps after him, Dean's pain started to dissipate and he caught a glimpse of his figurine of the man in the trench coat. By the time his mom had wiped up the blood, there were no more scratches or bumps on Dean's body. His brain was fine and the figurine of the man was back in his bottom drawer when Dean checked later that night.

That's what made Dean like the toy: _It saved my life_; he played with it as though the man was a wizard or a god. As he got older, he didn't think like that anymore until his mother mentioned the magic of the cupboard.

_I have got to put him in the cupboard,_ Dean thought on his way back inside to his mother and brother. _But I have to suffer through dinner and chatting with my family before I can._

* * *

><p>Dean and Sam packed a few kitchen items and sipped some lemonade while waiting for their father to get back with pizza. Their mom sat at the table, playing on her iPhone and asking Dean if he really wanted to go on this road trip.<p>

"I'm not college material, mom."

"Don't sell your-"

"Myself short? I know. You keep saying that. But I'm not, I know I am smart I just can't do the school thing anymore. That's Sammy's job and he's good at it."

"You did great in college! You got amazing grades at community college and you have your associate's!"

"Yea, in liberal arts. That's just cheating. I have no interests in the real world except travel and adventure."

"Well, good. I've always enjoyed being the favourite child, the child with more under his belt…"

"The child who will soon have a house and have to take care of his homeless older brother when he gets back from traveling and actually wants to settle down."

"So you want to settle down?"

"Only if it causes you inconvenience, Sammy."

Their father arrived with a large pizza and they ate in silence because everybody was tired from packing. When they were done eating, Sam crashed on the one remaining couch and his parents went up to their bedroom where their bed was still intact. They told Dean he could stay on one of the mattresses in the moving van if he wanted to take one out but he went back to his motel where he immediately took out the cupboard and figurine.

"Well, let's see if magic exists, shall we Dean? If this works, though, you might just be crazy 'cause you're talking to yourself about a magical box in a motel room!" The cupboard was in front of the television and the key and figurine were at the ready. "I come back to my old house and suddenly I'm five and a half again…"

He unlocked the cupboard, put the toy inside, and locked it. He waited ten seconds then opened it again.

The toy was still solid.


	3. Chapter 3

When Dean slowly woke up the next morning, his dreams and memories were a jumbled mess so he couldn't quite recall if the cupboard was real and that he had tried to work it's magic. Something inside him was adamant about it being real so Dean rubbed his eyes and opened them.

The cupboard was still in front of the TV.

"Huh," he rubbed his eyes again and mocked himself in his head for believing in magic. _Did I drink too much yesterday?_ He stared at the cupboard for a few seconds then got out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. He did his business, took a shower, and brushed his teeth then stared at the cupboard again.

_Is the door ajar?_ He cautiously walked toward it, moving his head in every angle to see if the door really was open a bit. _I closed it last night, right?_

He had. The door wasn't ajar but there was a bright white light coming from inside the cupboard. The key was falling out of the lock so Dean grabbed it and twisted it, unlocking the cupboard. He was thrown back by the light exploding out of the cupboard. A high-pitched screech began ringing in Dean's ears so he clasped his hands over them and dropped to the floor. The white light filled the whole room now, and Dean had to twist his eyes shut to suppress the pain it was causing.

The television screen and the motel windows shattered and the glass rained on Dean so he curled into a tighter ball and rocked back and forth.

_I do believe in magic, I do, I do. BUT I DON'T WANT TO ANYMORE!_ He thought. _Please stop?_

The light dissipated, the ringing noise dwindled to a low whisper, and then it was silent. Dean was breathing heavily and shaking. Then something touched his shoulder. He startled and looked up to see a man wearing a trench coat and blue tie… the same outfit as his figurine.

"I'd like to thank you for letting me out of that infernal cage. My boss put in there so I could look after you better but, man is that thing cramped."

Dean was still on the floor, his hands on his heads.

"Stand up, Dean. I don't bite."

"You- you're-"

"Now stuck in a human size vessel? Yes, at least it is less cramped than that toy size." The man in the trench coat looked at the cupboard with relief. "It sure took you long enough to find that cupboard. I guess it means you are ready for me."

"Excuse me?" Dean stood up now and looked the man in the eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am Castiel. I am an angel of The Lord, yes, as in God." Dean gave Castiel a blank look. "Would you like to see my wings?" A not-so-very amused Castiel said. His last ten protection details had demanded proof of his angelic-ness so Castiel had to reveal his wings. Humans never understand how much power it takes to create a storm and flicker the lights in just the right way so that an angel's wings can be seen by the mortals without the mortals seeing the celestial body and burning to a crisp.

"Uh… That's not necessary. You were an action figure last night and a cupboard made you bigger this morning so either I'm seeing things from drinking too much, still dreaming, or you're telling the truth."

"Very good logic, Dean. I like you already."

"Thanks. Why are you here again?"

"I actually haven't told you yet…?" The angel cocked his head at Dean.

"It's a human saying."

"Oh. Take a seat." Castiel moved Dean over to the bed and sat him down on the edge. The angel stayed standing. "So, we went over the me being an angel of The Lord thing, what's next? Oh yes, you asked why I am here. Don't worry, you're not dying. You actually, well, can't. I mean you _can_, but… I'll just bring you back."

"Really? Why?"

"Because you are important. God has a plan for you."

"Okay, what did Mom put in that lemonade?"

"You must have noticed the increase in deadly diseases, natural disasters, and strange disappearances. These are the result of the apocalypse."

"The apocalypse?"

"Hell is opening its gates, chaos is spreading." Here, Castiel paused. Partly for dramatic effect, partly to let Dean process the information. "Lucifer is rising. And you are the only one who can stop it and save us all. Humans and angels, alike."

"Me?" Dean reflected on his personality: Slightly selfish, very spontaneous, not always trustworthy, and definitely not the hero type. "Why me?"

Castiel put his hand on Dean's shoulder and suddenly they were in the Winchester kitchen, many years earlier, Dean and Castiel were sitting at the table. The sun was shining brightly through the windows; Mary Winchester bustled about making spaghetti, and a miniature Dean came running in, screaming, crying, and holding his finger. Sam came sauntering in after Dean.

"Oh, baby what happened?" Mary leaned down to inspect Dean's finger.

"Dean saved me from a scary bug but hurt his finger on a rock. He's a superhero!"


End file.
